Do You Quote Low Voltage Jobs Without a Site Walk First

Quoting a job without seeing the site is a gamble. Sometimes the gamble pays off. More often, it does not.

Why Site Walks Matter

Photos and floor plans do not show you ceiling conditions, pathway availability, or what is hiding above the drop tiles. A site walk reveals the real obstacles: packed ceilings with no room for new cable, concrete walls where the plan shows drywall, or a telecom closet that is already full.

Without a site walk, your quote is based on assumptions. Every wrong assumption is margin you are giving away. A 100-foot run that turns into 180 feet because of routing obstacles is not the customer's problem. It is yours.

When You Can Skip It

Small residential jobs with straightforward scope (a few camera drops on a single-story home) can sometimes be quoted from photos and a phone conversation. New construction where you have full plan sets and the building is framed but not finished is another scenario where a site walk adds less value.

But for any commercial retrofit, any job in a building you have never worked in, or any project over a certain dollar threshold, the site walk is non-negotiable.

Making the Site Walk Count

Bring a camera and document everything. Ceiling height, pathway conditions, closet space, power availability, and existing cable plant. Take photos of the areas where you will be routing cable. These photos become your reference when you are building the quote at your desk.

The Bottom Line

A 30-minute site walk costs you half an hour. A bad quote costs you the entire job margin. The math is simple.

Find low voltage projects in your area. LVN Signal tracks permits and bids so you can stay ahead of the competition.